Miami Dade College

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MagnesiuM

106 Posts

well, i never wrote back about first day and now it's been three weeks. it's going okay. lectures are less than helpful...i feel like all i've learned is from the books. i despise clinical skills lab, and as i feared, i flunked my blood pressure test today. it's really quite humiliating. i know i can take a blood pressure. i've been a cna for the last three years, and i take manual blood pressures quite often, and i know that they're accurate. but in skills lab, i hear nothing except garble and everyone talking. during the test today, i could have sworn on the dot about my systolic pressure. i re-did it three times to be sure, and i still got it wrong....ten points off!!! it's so frustrating because i KNOW i can do it. i hear it fine all the time, but whenever an instructor is listening on the other end of the scope, i guess my ears fail. even when i don't FEEL particularly stressed or nervous, i never get it right with the teacher.

i am trying to stave off a panic attack, because if i fail nursing school because of some stupid three-week class like clinical skills lab, i will just have to roll over and die, i think!!!

i have no options left if nursing school doesn't work out. it's all i've wanted to do and have been working for for five years now.....and i feel like it's all slipping away on something as stupid as a *(*#(*@* blood pressure test.

every day i tell myself that i am going to succeed and be a great nurse. but everyday, nursing school tells me quite the opposite.

no wonder there are so many crappy nurses out there with bad attitudes......nursing school sucks out all the joy and self-worth you've managed to build up inside yourself. and puts you into mega-debt in the meantime too.....

good luck to all and hopefully i don't flunk again on the next try.

nlion87

250 Posts

as far as fundamentals theory exams go, buy an nclex rn review book and study questions or sections that correlate to what the chapters topic reflects as your exams will be scenario based and the questions will also prepare you for how nursing school exams and ultimately the nclex are administered. Dont worry about answering practice questions correctly but rather being able to understand the rationale behind the correct answer

Nursingforever

41 Posts

OHHH MY GOD!!!! we are in the same boat!!!! too many classes, too much homework,, and no time!!!! It seems that they just want to select a few group of people. Another thing is that all this stuff is so confusing. Sometimes, I come to my house, and when I start to do homeworks , etc, I don't know what to do first.. ....

Jessica1024

231 Posts

Hey guys. OKKKKKKKKK Let's all take a deep breath. We are just starting nursing, let's try to relax a little bit, all of us. I know it's a lot. I am also taking Micro. I also know that most students in MDC are people with a lot of responsibilities outside of school EXAMPLE kids, or a full time job, a lot of bills, ext. We all need to work towards the best, and of course come here and pour our hearts out. Nothing better then being heard. I know this this is true, because I come here with my frustratings as well.

I am going off the wall, but my advise is to stay positive. So far nursing has been overwhelming, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I just love the fact that all nursing students come togehter to help one another. There is a lot of great teamwork and a lot of companionship as well. As far as the teachers, most are wonderful, and others it is not that they are not wonderful as well, but a little vague on the information that is needed....They do really want to weed out some students from taking the test at the end.

My advise for vitals is practice practice pratice! I am sure you already have a lot of practice being a CNA, but still. I know what you mean about those horrible stest. They are bad bad bad. IF you did not pass this time there is always next week, and remember to go to the lab, and practice with the equipment that they are going to test you on.

Maybe you are not use to it.

As far as my experiences with nursing, I can not wait for this semester to be over, just because I have microbiology stuck in the middle which is just annoying. I have three test next week on one day and one of them is micro. The thing is that I am not stressing the whole micro part, and really I do not believe micro is hard at all, it just takes some time off from my initial studying. Other then that I can not say anything else, because we have not gotten to the test or anything. I am sure in one week I will be eating my nails and ripping my heart out, but still I have to relax.

I already took my pharm test, and I know I did not get an A, maybe not even a B, maybe I got a C, and if I am really unlucky I got a D,,,,,but I have to stay positive, and do better next time.

I know ALL of you can do it. I have faith, I really do. I know you will all do wonderful, you are just getting into the groove, and we all know how hard nursing school is, but it is not impossible.So please stick together, because in nursing at least we have each other, and that is a great comfort.

Please get back to me on how you are ALL doing, and as always I wish you all the best.

Jessica1024

231 Posts

BTW what most worries me is my horrible money situation. They just took my daycare help again, and I am at my wits end with what am I going to do next. I mean WHAT DO I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been crying and crying just thinking that what will I ever do if I can not go to nursing school after coming so far, if I have to stay home taking care of the kids instead, because I have no one to help me. I know it is a stressful time, school and real life is not easy, but there is a light at the end.

Just think about those patients that need you, and that everything will be ok. No matter what comes your way it is just another sign that things will in the end get easier. We have been here from the beggining cheering one another on, and there is still a lot of cheering to do before we finish. So let it be, and lets get studying. I love nursing school I do, I love what I am learning, and I love what we will be doing at the end, which is helping patients. That to me is something amazing. Just keep the big picture in mind always.

Chamita

9 Posts

Hello Everyone!!!

I am new to this board and am so happy to have a place where I can ask questions and find support. It makes the whole experience towards getting my RN easier. I really wish all of you the best. :nuke:

Phoenixlight, I applied for the transitional program at Miami Dade for January 2009 also and am still waiting for a response. It is hard but am sort of keeping my mind off things with the classes that I am taking to finish my prerequisites (Fundamentals of Speech Communication, Psychology of Personal Effectiveness, and Chemistry). Hopefully we both get accepted to the program. :nuke:

Jessica1024

231 Posts

Good luck to you guys. You will see that you will get in.

Specializes in Cardiac/Med Surg.

About failing a class, I am not sure. We had a student that was pregnant took off to have the baby, came back for finals and flunked. She had to retake a class i think and she never passed the second time and 2x and you are out i think. She was an LPN and case manager before nursing school.

I was in transitionals and did not use the nursing book a lot, mostly studied the notes, powerpoints and took lots of notes in class. I bought a great pathophysiology book,that helped alot. and lived at barnes and noble could use there books and was addicted to buying a book i thought i needed or a flip book on ecg, pharm etc...

I don't know of anyone who failed because they couldn't take a manual blood pressure, very nerve wracking but I did volunteer for Prof. Hammacks Sharpe project got community hours and lots of practice taking pressures...talk to her about it..

Fortunately I was able to work and have work pay for school if i maintained a certain gpa...i think a B,

Careplans were the hardest for me, and the careplan test so many people failed the first time...but you can retake that one more time.

Everything will get better and more scheduled. Enjoy, I also did school working full time nights, with 2 older kids and planned a wedding for one while in school. so maybe being older and closer to 50 was and advantage...I know where I work they hire a lot of MDC students right out of school because they like that they have more hands on than some students that go to a 4 year school...wherever you go to school nursing is the right choice if its what you wanted to do...i love it everyday and the nurses i work with are the best always helpful. So keep you chins up and study hard...good luck to everyone, going to bed just finished my night!

Jessica1024

231 Posts

Wow! It is always good to hear from those that have come before us. I am sleeping through micro. It is one of the least of my worries really.

mortero

46 Posts

hi everyone i need a little information my way because i rather hear from others who have gone thru it or are in the program. I am currently finishing my bachelors in biology and i am going to apply to the nursing acclerated program in miami dade. I already went to speak to them and i have a 4.0 gpa. I am wondering does an associate in science rn really differ. from an rn who is a bsn? do they make less or do they have less anything other? I really want to apply to the miami dade program, but i have some friends in nursing school in the generic programs in nova, fiu and they tell me that bsn is better, but i already have a bachelors now in may. Please if anyone can reply does it make a difference or a big one at least? I want to work as an icu nurse will that affect my chances if i dont have a bsn in nursing? thanks :loveya:

carygt3

106 Posts

hi everyone i need a little information my way because i rather hear from others who have gone thru it or are in the program. I am currently finishing my bachelors in biology and i am going to apply to the nursing acclerated program in miami dade. I already went to speak to them and i have a 4.0 gpa. I am wondering does an associate in science rn really differ. from an rn who is a bsn? do they make less or do they have less anything other? I really want to apply to the miami dade program, but i have some friends in nursing school in the generic programs in nova, fiu and they tell me that bsn is better, but i already have a bachelors now in may. Please if anyone can reply does it make a difference or a big one at least? I want to work as an icu nurse will that affect my chances if i dont have a bsn in nursing? thanks :loveya:

hi,

A B.S.N. has a higher degree..they are also R.N.'s though. you say you are almost done with your bachelors in biology? Well, i believe Miami dade has a program for those with a previous bachelors..so if you finish off your bachelors..you can apply to that program in miami-dade..(i think Barry Univ. also has one..and possibly Nova). Although in the miami dade program for those with previous bachelors, you only recieve your R.N. Typically, R.N's earn a couple dollars less an hour than B.S.N's..and with an R.N. you have less capability to progress in the field..

Hope this helps :wink2:

Specializes in Cardiac/Med Surg.

absolutely not, go for it. you could work icu with an AS like me. having a bachelors in biology is great, and if you want a bsn do it later, but you have everything you need for the accelerated program and will be fine. you could get into teaching also later down the line...

I have an associates in science x2 and would have to take the prerequistes for a bachelors of arts to get my bsc, sociology, etc...

MDC is a great program/

good luck

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